Dr. John Behnke is Professor of Music at Concordia University in Mequon, Wisconsin where he teaches organ and directs The Alleluia Ringers, Concordia's touring handbell choir. He has been at Concordia since 1986. He is also organist at Historic Trinity Ev. Lutheran Church in downtown Milwaukee where he plays on an 1878 Schuelke organ and directs the Trinity Adult Choir.
Dr. Behnke is also a frequent organ recitalist, handbell clinician, and festival director. Beginning in July, 2003, he became the new Music Editor for the American Guild of English Handbell Ringers He enjoys composing and arranging having handbell, choral, and organ compositions in print with seventeen different publishers in the United States, Germany, and Taiwan. A complete works listing can be found online at www.johnbehnke.com.
He was honored in December of 1993 being named 'MVP' Most Valuable Player in the Milwaukee area by Milwaukee Sentinel music critic, Nancy Raabe. He has also received an ASCAP Composers Award every year since 1998. In March of 2004, a Milwaukee Journal Sentinel newspaper article listed John Behnke as "One of the 10 Brightest Minds in Milwaukee." A 1974 graduate of Concordia-River Forest, IL. he received his M. Mus. in Church Music and Organ from Northwestern University, Evanston, IL. in 1978. His D. Mus. was awarded to him in 1984 by Northwestern University where he was elected into the Alpha Chapter of Pi Kappa Lambda, a National Honorary Music Society. From August 1978 to July 1979 Dr. Behnke studied at the Westphalian Church Music Institute in Herford, W. Germany, where he passed the 'A' Exam in Organ with the grade of '1-Excellent'.
Dr. Behnke has three digital CDs entitled ''For All Seasons, Vols. 1, 2, and 3'' available of his organ music. Each is $15 and is available from Concordia Publishing House, St. Louis, MO., Northwestern Publishing House, Milwaukee, WI. or from Dr. Behnke himself.
Kenneth T. Kosche, Professor of Music, has served on the faculty of Concordia since 1978. He conducts the university's two choirs, Kammerchor (the touring choir) and Concordia Chorale (the chapel choir). In addition, he teaches composition, conducting, and choral literature classes at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. With Kammerchor he has toured all over the continental US, several times to Canada, to Taiwan (1998), and to Brazil (2001). Kammerchor continues to be frequent contributor of music to the Lutheran Hour, radio ministry of the International Lutheran Laymen's League.
Kosche's BS in Music Education with Highest Honors (1969) and MS (1971) degrees were awarded by the University of Illinois - Urbana, Champaign (UI-UC), and his doctorate, a DMA in Choral Conducting, by the University of Washington (1977).
Prior to coming to Concordia University Wisconsin, Dr. Kosche has taught in public high schools in Illinois, at the University of Wisconsin - LaCrosse, and at Winona State University, where he directed the community orchestra during a one-year interim. From 1979-1988 he served as music director of the Lutheran A Cappella Choir of Milwaukee. He has served as a parish musician for most of the past thirty plus years, most recently at St. John's Lutheran Church, Glendale, Wisconsin. Kosche is a 1990 Fellow of the Melodious Accord Program, having studied on several subsequent occasions in New York and Massachusetts with Alice Parker. He is a frequent clinician and workshop leader, having done choral workshops and clinics in several states, Brazil, and Taiwan, most recently as guest choral clinician for the 16th world Chinese Church Music Camp, Taipei, May, 2002.
Over 150 of his compositions for voices, keyboard, organ, instruments, and handbells are in the catalogues of some dozen US publishers. Several choral and organ compositions have received favorable reviews in the Choral Journal, The American Organist, and the Diapason. Two compositions have won awards. Several hymn settings of his and a new tune, ''In Paradisum,'' appear in the LC-MS Hymnal Supplement 98. In 1999, his colleagues at Concordia University Wisconsin named him Faculty Laureate.
Above all these professional duties and accomplishments, he values his God-given roles as husband to Rosemary and as father of two Concordia University Wisconsin students, Thomas (CUW 2003) and Anne (CUW 2004).
Lynn Little, Assistant Professor of Music, is a graduate of Augustana College, Rock Island, with degrees in piano performance and music education, and also of Indiana University, Bloomington, with a master's degree in piano performance and music theory. Lynn taught for two years at Lincoln Trail College in Robinson, IL, at Augustana College for one year, and served as music director for three churches in the Chicagoland area, most recently at Bethany, Naperville. At Concordia, she teaches music theory, and will begin doctoral studies at UW Madison in the fall of 2008. Lynn and her husband, Bruce, are the parents of four musical children, Christopher, Nathan, Katharine, and Caroline.
Since 1992, Dr. Louis A. Menchaca, Professor of Music, has directed all aspects of instrumental music. Under his guidance, the Symphonic Wind Ensemble has gained local, regional, national and international attention by performing in concert halls, churches and schools in thirty six states (including Hawaii) and abroad. Other duties include conducting the chamber orchestra and jazz ensemble as well as serving as department head. He also teaches conducting, trumpet, music education and graduate music theory review. His professional associations have enabled the music department to have assembled one of the finest and prolific applied instrumental studio music instructional staffs in the region.
For more than 20 years, Dr. Menchaca has been a music-maker and producer at the high school, university and professional levels. His collaborative skills have allowed innovative programming in the genres of Jazz, Orchestra, Concert Band, Chamber Winds, Brass, Youth, Pops, Symphonic and Concerto. Affiliated in both academic and professional music circles, colleagues regard him for his inspired, thorough and exciting music-making experiences with both constituents.
In 2000 his Concordia colleagues honored him as "Faculty Laureate" for excellent and inspired teaching. In 2003 he was elected to Phi Beta Mu (Wisconsin), the National Band Honorary for outstanding teaching and performance. His band and orchestra alumni hold teaching and music positions across the United States. His trumpet remains an integral part of his life as he leads his own professional brass choir and jazz big band. He is married to Lorene Anne (MSW) and is father to two very musical and athletic boys, Louis Alan (14) and Brent Austin (10).
Adjunct Instrumental Faculty
Michael Betz
Instructor of trumpet
Bonnie Cohen
Instructor of oboe
Bonnie Cohen has been the principal oboist with the Festival City Symphony for ten years. She held the same position with its predecessor, the Milwaukee Civic Orchestra. In addition to her Festival City Symphony duties, Bonnie has been a member of the Milwaukee Ballet Orchestra since 1975, the Milwaukee Chamber Orchestra since 1979, and plays frequently with the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra. She has also performed with the Bel Canto Chorus, Waukesha, Racine and Green Bay Symphonies, Skylight Theatre, Florentine Opera, and enjoys playing for Broadway shows when she can! She presently teaches at Concordia University in Mequon. Bonnie received her music degree from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee under a full scholarship. Some of her teachers include Stephen Colburn, Paul Kramer and Andre Ladrot when she studied at The Institute for Advanced Musical Studies in Montreux, Switzerland. Bonnie maintains a private studio in Mequon where she lives with her husband Steven Meyerson, and their children, Nathan, Aaron, and Stacy.
Mr. Lundin is a native of Escanaba, MI and is beginning his fifth year as a free-lance violinist in the Milwaukee area. He has played for the Milwaukee Ballet, Skylight Opera, Pamiro Opera, Green Bay and Waukesha Symphonies and is Concertmaster of the Racine Symphony Orchestra. In May of 2002 Mr. Lundin performed on a live broadcast for "Live from WFMT" in Chicago with clarinetist Christopher Zello. Mr Lundin is an enthusiastic teacher giving private lessons as well as teaching at CUW and previously at UW Stevens Point. Before moving to Milwaukee he was a full time member of the Shreveport Symphony Orchestra from 1992 to 1999. While in Louisiana, he also taught at Northwestern State University, the Centenary Suzuki School and was Concertmaster and Assistant Conductor of the Longview Symphony in Longview, Texas. In February 1998, he was soloist in Longview performing the Erich Korngold Violin Concerto to critical acclaim.
Percussionist Terry Smirl received his B.A. degree in applied percussion for the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in 1986.
He has been a member of Present Music since 1987. He has been Principal Timpanist with both the Milwaukee Ballet and the Waukesha Symphony Orchestras since 1993 and has been an extra percussionist with the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestras since 1983. Mr. Smirl has a long list of professional performances, some of which include the Bel Canto Chamber Orchestra, Skylight Opera Theater, Florentine Opera, Wisconsin Wind Orchestra, Istanbul State Symphony Orchestra, Kamran Ince Ensemble, Music from Almost Yesterday, Ensemble Musical Offering, Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra and the Festival City Symphony. In addition to his classical music experience, he is also a busy jazz drummer. In addition to leading the Terry Smirl Trio, he has appeared with all of the area's best jazz musicians including Chuck Hedges, Paul Silbergleit, Brian Lynch, Berkley Fudge, Mark Davis, Hattush Alexander, Gerald Cannon, Jeff Hamann, Jack Grassel, Manty Ellis, Frank DeMiles, John Foshager, Mike Barnett, Melvin Rhyne, Bobby Shew, the Nick Contorno Orchestra and Don Linke just to name a few.
His recording experience includes alternative rock dates with Violent Femmes' bass player Brian Richie, multi-instrumentalist John Kurth, and Milwaukee R&B legend Paul Cebar, Philadelphia artist Scott Sherwood, Milwaukee guitar virtuoso Jack Grassel, and the Nick Contorno Orchestra and Don Linke plus many others.
In addition to teaching percussion at CUW and Carroll College in Waukesha, Mr. Smirl teaches at teaches piano and jazz improvisation at Milwaukee Area Technical College.
Dr. Michael Thiele
Instructor of piano
262.243.4598
Dr. Thiele received his D.M.A. University of Iowa; M.M. Northwestern University; B.M. UW-Oshkosh. A frequent performer as both soloist and ensemble pianist, Dr. Thiele has taught piano at Iowa State University, University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh, University of Nebraska, Cornell College in Iowa, Northwestern University, University of Wisconsin Center-Fox Valley, University of Wisconsin Center Fond du Lac, and is currently on the faculty of Concordia University Wisconsin and the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music. He is a member of the Music Teachers National Association, Milwaukee Music Teachers Association, and Pi Kappa Lambda.
Patricia Weis
Instructor of voice
262.243.4597
Patricia Weis, received her B.A. from Marquette University, Milwaukee and a B.F.A. degree from U.W.M. She is presently a member of the Wisconsin Chapter of National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS) of which she is treasure as well as co-chair of auditions for the organization. She presides as Master Adjudicator for the Wisconsin State Solo and Ensemble Events. This past year she adjudicated at four district events and again at the state level held at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay. Patty recently attended the NATS summer workshop at the University of Colorado-Boulder: "Movement in Song". She recently served as Pre-registration Chairperson for the WSMA Convention held at University of Wisconsin-Whitewater and served on the Spring Dinner Committee of the Milwaukee Music Teachers Association.
Dr. John Behnke
James Freese
Lynn Little
Dr. Louis Menchaca
Dr. Michael Thiele